Undercurrent water-motor.



H. H. GRANGER,

UNDERGURRENT WATER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED 001'. 29, 1909.

1,017,409, Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES ATTORNEYS H. H. GRANGER.

UNDERGURRENT WATER MOTOR.

APPLIOATION FILED 00129, 1909.

1,017,409. Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wfnazmw A By ATTORNEYS H. H. GRANGER.

UNDERGURRENT WATER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29, 1909.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNES'S'ES ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HEMAN H. GRANGER, OF DAVENPORT, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRANGER UNDER-CURRENT WATER MOTOR COMPANY, OF DAVENPORT, WASHINGTON, A

CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

UNDERCURRENT WATER-MOTOR.

Specification of 'Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEMAN H. GRANGER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Davenport, in the county of Lincoln and State of Washington, have invented a new and Improved Undercurrent WVater-Motor, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to water motors, and especially to motors of the type which are adapted to rest below the surface of the current of a running stream for the purpose of developing power.

In its general construction the device comprises a wheel which is rotated by the force of the current and this wheel is provided with vanes which are pivotally attached. The wheel is constructed in such a way that as the vanes move down stream with the current they come against stops which hold them substantially radially.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means for increasing the efiiciency of these vanes and to cushion the blow as they come against their stops.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide improved means for mounting the wheel so as to reduce the resistance of the vanes as they move forwardly in the water, and in this way increase the efficiency of the wheel. This mounting is constructed in such a way that the wheel may be held at any desired level below the surface of the stream.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of ref erence indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a horizontal cross section taken through the guides upon which the frame runs, said frame carrying the water wheel; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the water wheel, certain parts being shown in elevation; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through one of the vanes and illustrating details of the construction of the wheel; Fig. 4; is a front elevation of the vane shown in Fig. 3 and showing a portion of the center of the wheel broken away; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken through one of the buffers which I employ to reduce the shock when the vanes swing against their stops; and Fig. 6 is a perspective view partly broken away and illustrating the manner in which the current motor is mounted in the stream.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Fig. 6, in mounting the motor I provide a pier 1 in the stream, and in one corner of this pier I provide a pocket 2, which extends vertically downward from the upper face of the pier to the bottom, or to any level to which it is desired to lower the wheel. At the sides of this pocket I provide vertically disposed guides 3, which guides are formed of I-beams, as shown in Fig. 1. On these I-beams elongated guide shoes 4: slide, and these shoes are rigidly attached to triangular frames 5 and 6, which are disposed, respectively, above and below the wheel 7. The frames 5 and 6 are connected with the ends of the shoe 1 by means of diagonal braces 8, as indicated.

Referring to Fig.1, it will be seen that the triangular frames project out from the guides '3 so as to present the wheel to the force of the current which passes in the direction of the arrows indicated in Fig. 1 and Fig. 6. The wheel 7 comprises a centrally disposed drum 9, which is air-tight and which constitutes a float, rendering the wheel buoyant so as to overcome the weight of the wheel on the supports. This drum should be of such a size that the wheel will tend slightly to sink. On the ends of the drum 9, circular heads 10 are rigidly attached, and on the outer sides of these heads spiders 11 are rigidly secured, said spiders presenting a plurality of radially disposed arms 12, as shown. Near the sides of the drum at suitable points, stops or buffer bars 13 are provided, said bars being in the form of channels, as indicated in Fig. 3. These channels are arranged so that their flanges 14 project forwardly with respect to the direction of rotation of the wheel. The webs'15 of the channels are disposed radially and in a vertical postion and are attached to the arms 12. Between the arms, vanes 16 are provided, said vanes having vertical pivot rods 17 near their outer edges, said pivot rods having gudgeons 18 which are rotatably mounted in the arms, as indicated in Fig. 4:. At the upper and lower edges of these vanes 16, frame bars 19 are provided, and these frame bars are extended beyond the pivot rods 17 so as to form hori- Zontally extending tongues 20, which extend beyond the rims of the heads, as indicated. Near the outer ends of these tongues 20 balance blades or pilot blades 21, are pivotally attached on pivot rods 22, said pivot rods 22 having gudgeons 23 passing through the members 20, as shown.

In the buffer bars 13 I provide a plurality of buffers 23%. The construction of one of these buffers is clearly shown in Fig. 5. Each buffer comprises a cylindrical case or barrel 25 which is open at its rear end with respect to the direction of rotation of the wheel, and at this end a flange 26 is provided, which seats against the web 15, the body of the barrel 25 being passed through an opening 27 formed in the web, as shown. The inner or forward end of this barrel, with respect to thedirection of rotation, is provided with a plurality of water vents 28, and the inner head 29 of the barrel is provided with a main water vent 30. Within the barrel a coil spring 31 is provided, and the outer end of this spring extends be yond the flange 26 and is incased in a tubular cap or plunger 32, which plunger is adapted to slide within the barrel 25, as will be readily understood, The projecting portion of the cap or plunger 32 is provided with water vents 1n the normal po sition of the plunger the water vents 28 and 33 are all uncovered.

On the upper side of the upper frame 5, a bevel gear 31- is provided that is rigid with the wheel 7, and this bevel gear meshes with a similar bevel gear 35 which is attached to a counter-shaft 36, said counter-shaft being rotatably mounted in bearings 37, as shown. On the other end of the shaft 36, a bevel gear 38 is provided, that meshes with a bevel gear 39, said bevel gear 39 being mounted so as to slide on an angular transmission shaft 10, which may be square in cross section, as shown. At suitable points the frame of the wheel is provided with eyebolts 41, to which suspending cords or lines 42 attach. These lines extend upwardly and pass around pulleys 13 attached to the ceiling 44 of a power house 4-5. From this point the cords extend downwardly and wrap upon drums 16 rotating upon an axle 457, one of said drums being provided with a crank 48 for rotating the same. By means of this device the wheel may be raised or lowered so as to change its level with respect to the surface of the current. As the wheel is raised or lowered, the bevel gear 39 slides freely on the shaft 40; at the same time it will transmit rotation to the shaft in any position from the wheel through the bevel gears 34 and 35.

The mode of operation of the wheel will now be described.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1, the direction of the current is indicated by the arrows adjacent to the wheel. As the vanes move forwardly against the current, the balance blades 21 will be held forwardly on account of the greater area of the vanes 16. As the vanes pass the central axis of the .wheel and. start toward the rear, the balance blades 21 swing rearwardly and their rear edges come against the pivot rods 17 which act as stops. On account of the fact that the balance blades 21 have a smaller area than the large vanes 16, this movement will take place before the large vanes swing back against their stops. On account of the fact that the balance blades 21 present their area on the opposite side of the axis of rotation of the vanes 16, they partly counterbalance or compensate the area of the vane so that when the vane starts toward the rear it will not swingagainstthe buffer bars with great force. In this way I reduce the force with which the vane is arrested. In this connection attention is called to Fig. 3 which illustrates' the relative positions of the vanes after the movement of the vane has been begun toward the rear. As the vane comes against the buffer bar it does not strike the bar directly but strikes against the plungers of the bars 2 1. The buffer springs 31 are then slightly compressed and the plunger-s slide inwardly. The water which fills the chamber formed within the plunger and the barrel, escapes freely through the openings 28, 33, and the opening 30. As the plunger slides rearwardly its inner edge closes the openings 28 in succession, and in,addition to this, the opening 33 passes beyond the mouth of the barrel, so that these water vents through which the water may find exit, present a reduced total area. In this way the inward movement of the plunger is choked, that is, it offers a continually increasing resistance to the Vane. In this way a buffer is provided which brings the vane easily to a stop without a shock. After the vanes pass their rearmost position, that is, when they start up stream, the balance blades will swing rearwardly first and then the main vanes 16 will swing toward the rear in the same direction, as indicated by the arrow near the upper part of Fig. 1.

From the construction described it will be evident that as the wheel turns, the vanes will swing freely in the current, and yet when they come against their stops the force of the blow will be reduced through the action of the vanes 21, and the shock of the blow will be reduced through the action of the buffers 24.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,-

1. A water wheel, comprising an air-tight drum constituting a float and having spiders secured to its ends, said spiders having radial arms projecting beyond the drum, bufier bars secured between the arms adjacent to the drum, bufiers carried by the said bars, vanes provided at their outer edges with pivot rods mounted in the outer ends of the said arms of the spiders and adapted to abut with their inner free ends againstthe buffers, said vanes having at their upper and lower edges frame bars projecting beyond the pivots, and imperforate balance vanes provided at their outer edges with pivot rods mounted in the projecting ends of the frame bars of the first vanes, the balance vanes being adapted to abut with their inner free edges against the pivoted ends of the said first vanes.

2. A water wheel, comprising a vertical hub having radial arms projecting from its ends, buffers carried by the arms adjacent to the drum, vanes pivoted at their outer ends between the outer ends of the said arms and adapted to abut wit-h their free inner ends against said buffers, said vanes having at their upper and lower edges frame bars projecting beyond the pivots, and imperforate balance vanes pivoted at their outer ends between the projecting portions of the frame bars of the first vanes, the balance vanes being adapted to abut with their free inner ends against the pivoted ends of the said first vanes.

3. A water wheel, comprising a vertical hollow and air-tight hub having radial arms and imperforate balance vanes pivoted at their outer ends between the projecting members of the first vanes and adapted to abut with their free inner ends against the pivoted ends of the said first vanes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HEMAN H. GRANGER.

lVitnesses WV. C. GRAHAM, E. N. INNES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, 1

Washington, D. G. 

